From the start
by xXLooney-chanXx
Summary: Bella and Edward have only been dating for a few weeks, and already Edward is getting annoying. One day, Bella meets James and something unexpected happens. Set before the baseball game. Not good at summaries. Or titles. R
1. Shit Happens

Okay, this is my first story, so be nice! This is a Bella and James story, so all Bella/Edward faithfuls, you might want to click the back button now.

R&R!

**I own nothing.**

**BPOV**

I was still a human, regrettably, and I was running as fast as my human slowness could take me. I knew that I only had a few more minutes until Edward finally caught on, or maybe he already knew, and was coming to get me and kill James. No. I couldn't let that happen. That thought drove me around the corner faster than I thought possible, and I busted through the doors to the studio and shouted.

"James!"

**EPOV**

I couldn't believe how stupid I was. How could I let Bella into the arms of that sicko James? I am the most stupid, vile, undeserving thing on this plain of existence. I should just kill myself now, because I know it's too late. But I have to try. Not for mine, but for Bella's sake. I can only hope that he wont kill her soon. I cringed at that thought as I ran faster.

**BPOV**

I was answered by the sound of my mother's voice, all panicky and shrill. "Bella? Bella?" she said with fright. I laughed and called James again. He walked out of the other room, his dark blonde hair looking uber sexy as he looked me up and down.

"Nice to see you again, Bella."

I smiled. " You too, my sexy uber-vamp boyfriend."

He chuckled and was next to me in a flash, one of those too quick to see moves that made my heart flutter. He grabbed me by my waist and gently but somehow still roughly pressed his lips onto mine. I reluctantly pulled away.

"Come on James, you know we don't have time for this."

He frowned. He was so cute, it was almost too hard to resist kissing him again, but there was work to do.

"Okay, okay. Let's finish this up quick." He pulled out his video camera and I worked to put a scared look on my face.

"And…action."

I looked at the video camera in horror, and I started running for the door. I was laughing quietly to myself as I struggled with the door handle, and straightened out my face when James whipped me around by my shoulder and bit down on my neck. Really hard. My next scream wasn't fake, because that venom hurt like a…well, you can figure out the rest. I pushed at his shoulder. This was kind of like our safety word. When I pushed, he stopped. Then he turned to the camera and said with a bloody mouth:

"Looks like you're too late, Eddie boy. Better luck next time."

He laughed, and that sound truly scared me. He closed the camera and turned to me with lusty eyes. That almost turned me on, but the fact that he was staring right at my neck kind of ruined it for me. I grabbed his chin and made him look at my eyes.

"Remember the mission. You can have me all you want later, just get me out of here now." I snarled.

He looked at me now. It took him a while, but he focused and grinned at me. That smile brought me back to when I first fell in love with him. It almost completely washed away the pain as he took me somewhere, I couldn't tell where, I was just cruising around in my mind while the pain overtook my body.

**A few weeks earlier…**

It was right after Charlie told me that some "wild animal" had killed one of his buddies. I knew it was a vampire, but I hadn't dreamed of telling Edward. Another check on the list of perks I got from a brain with a glitch. After Edward had so graciously and over protectively taken me home, I told him that I wanted "a human minute" which was my way of saying "leave me alone for a bit, kay?" He left, and as soon as I was sure that he was gone, I went straight into the forest. I wasn't really lloking for anything, so I kept wandering, wondering what I was going to do about Edward being so stubborn. I wanted to be a vampire dammit! Why did he have to be so resistant?

"Argh! Stupid, good for nothing, not ready to change me vampire!" I muttered to myself.

I heard a rustle, and smelled the sweet scent of a vampire. Had he heard me? I tried to convince myself that was good; I mean we had to talk about this sooner or later right? So I put up a brave front.

"Alright. I know you're there. Just come out so we can get this over with."

I turned to the direction of the rustling, and was surprised to find a vampire that wasn't Edward, step out from behind a tree. But what scared me the most was his blood red eyes. In one instant I was sure that he was responsible for killing those people. Shortly after the shock and fear, I felt fascination. Who was this vampire? And why didn't he immediately kill me? He obviously hunted humans; the truth was in his eyes. He studied me with the same curious look I was giving him with a hint of amusement. He spoke with a deep tenor voice that stuck in my head deeper than Edward's ever did.

"I'm not sure I'm who you're talking about, but if it's any consolation, I would have changed you."

A flicker of hope wiggled its way into my brain before I could stop it.

"You would? Oh please, can you? I want to be a vampire so badly I…" I stopped myself. Since when did I go spilling my guts to every vampire in town? To my surprise, he chuckled. I smiled. Maybe he wouldn't kill me, but either way, this was going to be painful. He grinned at me, and my heart melted. I would kill to see another smile like that.

"…I forgot to introduce myself. My name is--"

"Isabella Marie Swan. I've heard of you. It's nice to finally meet you. My name is James."

And it all branched from that little altercation. A mistake that turned my life, which was already upside down to begin with, sideways to the perfect degree that made everything clear. I am in love with James, and in the scheme of things, Edward was just a bridge to where I truly belonged. I always thought, ever since I discovered the existence of vampires, that I was destined to be a vampire one day. Alice had seen it, too.

After that day in the forest, James told me that he was too intrigued by me to kill me, even though it was really hard at times. We met in the forest all the time, whenever I fed Edward the same old story about wanting to be alone. We got to know each other, and he told me that one of the only reasons why he kept me alive was because I told him that I wanted to be a vampire. He wanted me to be a vampire too. Eventually, we kissed. James always had a rougher touch when it came to me, and I was liking the change. After that first passionate kiss, we couldn't stay away from each other for long. After a while, we both came to the agreement that I needed to break off from Edward and run away with James.

We devised a plan which was convoluted, but would work. I would meet James officially, along with the other two members of his coven, while Edward and the rest of the Cullens were playing baseball. James would spot me, and pretend to want to kill me. Then we would go through the whole cat and mouse bit for a while, and James would "force" me to come to him. There, he would turn me for real, but make it look like he drained me of blood for Edward and the rest. Then Edward would have a hard time trying to find us while I changed, and we would have to lay low for a while, of course, and then we would be able to go anywhere we wanted to, as long as we stayed out of the Olympic Peninsula.

**Now…**

**JPOV**

I put the video camera down; there were more important things to worry about, like Bella. She just fainted, probably because of the pain, or maybe she wasn't unconscious at all, and she was just trying to focus on something other than the pain. I stood there for a while, just letting her blood spill on the floor. I brought her over to a mirror, which I punched and smeared some of her blood on it. I decided that was enough "evidence" and that Eddie boy would be livid. I smiled at that thought. The last thing I did before I left was leave the video camera on the table before I started to run. I was carrying her seemingly lifeless form away from the ballet studio in the cover of night. The good side of planning this little event during twilight was the quick means for escape without much notice. The bad part was that the Cullens would be on my tail soon, and I'm not so sure if I could make it to the designated spot fast enough. The plan was actually to go back to Forks, where Bella's scent was spread all around, and hide somewhere there, like in her house if need be. I had already wiped all of her blood clean from her neck and my face, but that Edward was around her so much that he could probably trace her scent almost anywhere. There was also the problem of Alice. Bella told me that she could see my decisions, so deciding where to take Bella was going to be a problem. I decided after a quick thought, to not decide, and to take her anywhere. Luckily vampires never got tired, so I could probably keep running for 3 days straight…the only problem would be the day part of those days. I decided, thinking that this should be my last decision, that I would cross any bridge I came to when I got to it. I just had to keep running…

**EPOV**

I got to the Ballet studio faster than the rest of my family, because I wasn't trying to keep pace with them. I crashed through a window, not caring for the element of surprise or anything else but Bella. But neither she nor James were there. I snarled to myself. I couldn't let him get away with her. A part of my mind wondered though…

_Why did he take her with him? He doesn't have any reason to keep her, unless…_

"No!" I roared to the empty room when I realized that the only reason he would take her is to turn her into a vampire or torture her more. And I couldn't let the first happen, but the second wasn't much better. I wouldn't damn her to this life, directly or otherwise. But I had nowhere to look. Just then I realized that I had been staring at the little video camera for about a minute without noticing what I was doing. I picked it up, being careful not to break it into little pieces, for I was sure that it was a clue…or perhaps a taunt. Either way, I pressed play, and I saw nothing at first, I just heard my Bella speaking, and she didn't sound scared at all.

"…don't have time for this." What could she possibly mean?

"Okay, okay, let's finish this up quick. And…action" He pointed the camera, and I saw my beautiful Bella, with a first serious but horror-struck face. Then she turned and ran, struggling with the door, but I thought I heard something in the background. I prayed to no one that she would somehow get the door open in time, but I knew that she wouldn't. I watched in horror as James grabbed her and spun her by her shoulder, and sucked her life away as she screamed. I wanted to smash the stupid camera right then, but I knew that was my only hope of finding Bella and saving her. Then, the monster turned to face me and uttered the words that burned themselves into my mind as soon as I heard them.

_Looks like you're too late, Eddie boy. Better luck next time._

_Better luck next time. _

_Better luck next time. _

_Better luck next time. _

It was then that I lost myself to the monster in me.

**BPOV**

I regained my sense of what was what a little too early. Too early as in I WAS STILL BURNING. The worst part was that I had no idea if I had been out for a day, or two, or if I only had five minutes left. I opened my eyes, and I was somewhere in a place that I didn't recognize. I counted that as positive. That meant that James found a place, and that Edward hadn't managed to find us yet.

_Why do I still have to run from him? Why didn't I try the conventional way?_

I tried to remember why we hadn't done it the simpler way. I mentally turned back time, trying to find the specific conversation that me and James had about that.

_Oh yeah I remember now. _

*Flashback*

"Bella, you know you could just break up with him. I don't care if you tell him that you've been cheating on him, I just don't want anyone else under the delusion that you belong to anyone but me." I mentally sighed at this declaration. This was part of the reason why I loved him.

"James. There's something about Edward that I can't explain that tells me that he wouldn't go down without a fight. He would go so far as to kill to 'keep me safe'. I don't want either of you to die, I just want to be with you." and become a vampire, I'd added mentally.

"I know Bella. But we could get away. We could disappear, and that would be that." he offered.

"I know, but I can't do that to Charlie. I'm telling you James, I have to die. That's the only way that no one will look for me and we will be able to live without looking over our shoulders every step of the way. I'm not going to run away from Edward."

*End of Flashback*

As I laid here in agony, I thought about James. Where was he? Where were we? I opened my eyes. It was very hard to concentrate with the blistering pain all through my body. But I managed to sit up and look around. James wasn't there, so I just assumed that he was out hunting or something. Whatever. I went back into my stupor, hoping to pass the time as I was in this pain, hoping that it was almost over. What else was there to think about? There was our first kiss…

*Flashback*

I had just about gotten to my boiling point with Edward; there was only so much a girl could take. I idly wondered if he knew I went into the forest every time I wanted a human minute, then dismissed the thought because James had stopped hunting near Forks a while ago. I walked a little quicker than usual, venting my anger at Edward's futility. Why did I find him so annoying now all of a sudden? My answer came to a stop in front of me.

"James." I sighed. It was always a relief to see his beauty. I took a moment to study his features. His sexy dark blonde hair, his sexy leather jacket, right down to his sexy smile. Even his eyes were sexy. Simply sexy.

"It seems you're glad to see me." I then realized that he could smell my arousal, which usually spurred when I saw him. I laughed nervously.

"Soo what have you been doing lately?" I said, trying to distract him from my evident arousal at his presence.

"Nothing much, just hunting…and thinking about you."

My heart fluttered in surprise. "Really?" I said, not being able to help but smile.

"Yeah. I missed your scent." he closed his eyes and inhaled, visibly enjoying my aroma.

He stepped closer, and I was a little frightened in the back of my mind at what he was going to do. He came even closer, pressing me up against a tree behind me. He trailed his lips along the curve of my neck.

"Simply intoxicating." he murmured. I closed my eyes, enjoying him being so close to me without restraint. Edward was never this free with me. The danger gave me a strange high. He brought his lips up to my jaw, then my chin, then pulled away. I whimpered. We were so close. For once in my life, I took control and I kissed him. He was slightly surprised, I could tell because his lips were taut against mine for a split second. Then he chuckled and muttered something like, "The human's getting lusty isn't she?" or something like that. I couldn't concentrate because of the awesome feeling of his lips on mine. We worked together, his tongue exploring the insides of my mouth, then inviting me into his. He was so cold, my tongue went numb after a few seconds and he pulled away. I looked into his blood red eyes, and I knew that we were meant to be together.

I was just fine with that.

*End of Flashback*

I woke up, and the pain was gone.

I looked around. Everything was so beautiful, I even found myself looking at the tiny cracks in the wall. I was mesmerized until I looked at James. The first thing that struck me was his beauty. He was gorgeous. His skin seemed lighter than before, almost paler, if that was possible. His dark blonde hair actually had multiple highlights. His eyes, crimson and burning into mine, were what shook me out of my stupor. There was so much pain and sorrow in those eyes. There was also…lust, but to such a small degree that I didn't even notice it next to the raw pain in his eyes. I ran my tongue over my new and razor sharp teeth.

"What's wrong?"

He smiled at me. That heartbreaking smile that made me fall for him in the first place. It was somehow different though. I figured that it was because I was seeing through different eyes. But the thought still nagged at me, tugging at my brain like a petulant child on its mother's dress. After a while, you can't ignore it. I stored it away for later, when I had time to think. Because the hunt wasn't over yet.


	2. Too many flashbacks!

AN: I didn't really like how Edward and Bella fell in love. It was kind of…weird how Edward controlled too much and Bella just went along with it. So…I tweaked it. Just a little.

**P.S. I own nothing**

Chapter 2

I looked at James. What was wrong with him? He hadn't answered my question, and there seemed like something was wrong. This whole situation was wrong, but I couldn't figure it out. I ignored it, because I still had to deal with Edward. I remember how Edward and I fell in (not really) and out of love…

(AN: I know I have a lot of really long flashbacks, but that's just to fill the plot holes. I kind of started in the middle of the action, and I need to flesh out some of the details)

***Flashback***

Edward had asked me out, granting many stares from the most likely jealous girls around us, and like a deer in the headlights I said yes. I mean, Edward was gorgeous and all, but something about him was just plain creepy. The way he stared at me when he thought I didn't notice just freaked me out. I was more scared that he was going to do something if I said no. So I said yes.

We went to this little Italian restaurant in Port Angeles. It was…cozy. For some strange reason, Edward didn't eat anything. So why would he ask me to go out with him? To watch my eating method or something? Another check on the creep-o list. He was just asking me questions the whole time too. About my child hood, pets, friends, my mom, my dad, Phil, and other stuff. He seemed a little smug when I told him that I hadn't had any boyfriends before. He seemed to take that as to say that he was my boyfriend, but truly I was just humoring him.

He drove me home, and kissed me. It was my first, so I went a little overboard trying to prove that it wasn't. I thought he didn't like it, because he pulled away after a very short time. Then he started picking me up for school in the morning, although I told him that my truck would probably die from not being used after a while. He still kept coming though. He switched into all my classes, and steered me toward his lunch table every day.

His family was the shining element of Edward. Alice and I eventually became friends, and Jasper warmed up to me after a while. Rosalie was an ice queen for a minute, but she couldn't resist my charms either. Carlisle, Esme and Emmett loved me as soon as I walked through the door. So we were all one big happy family…

Until one day, Rosalie dropped the vampire bomb on me.

"Rosalie, I thought we were past this. Don't you like me? Don't you want me here?" I asked.

"Bella, you have it all wrong. We really are all vampires, and I can prove it." she stood, picked me up, and threw me out the nearest window. I screamed, seeing the ground get closer and closer, until she was suddenly there and caught me. I was amazed…and shell shocked, but amazed.

"Whoa! How'd you do that?"

"Vampire." she said in a sing song voice. I thought about the Cullens for a second. They were all really pale, they all had yellow eyes, which was something I only saw in the earlier seasons of Supernatural, and the small fact that girly girl Rosalie was able to throw me out the window like a Frisbee and catch me the same way was a clue. I was really quite obvious, once I thought about it. They were all so different from humans that a monkey could have probably figured it out sooner than I did. Rosalie put me down.

"So Rosalie, why didn't you tell me that you guys were vampires before?"

A grave look crossed her face. "The Volturi." she whispered, and in a flash, all the other Cullens were there. I paid them no mind, keeping my eyes fixed on Rose.

"Vampires?" she nodded. "Man eating ones?" she nodded again. "They would kill me?" she shook her head.

"They would kill each and every one of us." she said in a clear voice. All the Cullens hissed, and Edward was instantly behind me.

"Rose, why the hell did you tell Bella about the Volturi?" he hissed their name.

"Because you took too long, Edward. How long did you expect to just be with Bella without telling her this? We are vampires, and she deserved to know." she said calmly.

"Not like this, Rose. She wasn't supposed to know until I figured out a way to tell her!" Edward's composed face was slowly falling. Alice finally spoke.

"Why don't we just ask Bella how she feels? I mean, it's her opinion and reaction you're arguing about." That's one of the things that I loved about Alice. I was about to speak when…

"And you, Alice. You should have seen that Rosalie was planning this. You could have stopped her!" He turned to Alice, and I don't think I liked the look in his eyes.

"I knew all along Edward, and yes, I could have stopped her, but I didn't, because I knew that Rose was right, and that she would have handled it the best way. Face it, Edward. You would have sugar coated our secret until Tuesday, if you were ever really planning to tell her. My visions were blurry, which meant that your decision could have changed easily." Edward was about to say something, but I decided that I'd had enough of them talking about me like I wasn't there, so I stepped away from Rosalie and straightened my back.

"Look, I don't care if you're vampires. So what? All I want to know is if there are any other creatures that actually exist that I should know about." I looked at Carlisle, thinking that since he was most likely the oldest that he would know. He said in a clam voice,

"No Bella. The only thing you have to fear in this world are us." He looked solemn when he said that. I felt a pang of sorrow hit my heart. They still thought I was afraid?

"I'm not afraid of you guys. I don't know why you think I am. Do you need me to scream it? I, ISABELLA MARIE SWAN AM NOT AFRAID OF VAMPIRES! There! Are you happy now?" Little did I know that someone else had witnessed my display of non-vamipire-fearingness. James, never too far away, was listening in and smiled.

_Fast Forward…_

After the revelation of the big V, I grew closer to the Cullen family. Unfortunately, that meant that for a few days, Edward had me on ultra-super-I-can't-even-freaking-sneeze-without-you-asking-me-if-I'm-okay-ness. He thought I was scared or something. After that, he just started to get plain annoying. I didn't think it was possible but I was actually considering breaking up with him. But hey-ho oh wait, he's a freaking vampire, so he could crush me into a grain of sand if I made him mad enough. So I was stuck, until…

I met James. We made our plan, and it was all set. I mean, Edward was sweet and all, but after with James, he was just…better. I don't know. James treated me like a person would treat another person, not like how a person with warm hands would treat a stick of butter. There are so many other way that James makes me feel…wanted the way Edward never could. In my eyes, my betrayal of Edward was acceptable, or maybe not even valid, considering that I never technically agreed to be his girlfriend. I just hoped he took it well.

***End of Flashback* **

I looked at James _again,_ trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him. I mean, we were supposed to be happy as long as we were together and all that corny crap? I was starting to get annoyed, and I furrowed my brow.

"James, what the _hell_ is wrong with you?" I stopped myself just as I realized that I was glaring at him. He was my lover, and his situation was probably not the best right now. I mean, he found a place for us to stay, right? Jeez, these vampire emotions were crazy. I wonder how they managed to stay to clam all the time?

James just looked at me…with those tired eyes and said, "Bella…Bella, Edward's gone crazy." I froze. What was that supposed to mean?

"Huh? What do you mean Edward's gone crazy? He's like the most controlled person I've ever known." I stammered.

"When he found out that I had taken you…I felt it…his bloodlust was smothering…bigger than anything I'd ever seen…and he was after me. I'm not scared," he scoffed, "far from it actually, but this is going to be a lot more difficult than we'd planned, and I'm not a man of patience." He smirked at me upon saying the last words, and I knew that he was back to normal. I smiled.

"So what if Edward's a little miffed? I would be too if I thought someone took you from me, if he even felt that strongly about me." A serious look crossed his face.

"You shouldn't joke around about this, Bella. Has he ever even told you about what happens when we go into bloodlust?"

I frowned. "No? Does it matter?"

He explained, "When vampires go into bloodlust, we completely lose ourselves to our senses and try to kill anything in our path. And since he's mad at me, and probably you when he finds out, he'll be trying to kill us both, regardless of what he felt for you before."

I sighed. "Leave it to Edward to make a big deal out of getting dumped. Speaking of which…" I trailed off, crawling over to him and pressing my lips to his. I mean, he was being a grump and a pessimist, and he needed to lighten up a little.

There was no hesitation as he snaked his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I gave a purr of excitement, knowing that this was my first vampire encounter, and it was making out to be a good one. We stayed like that for a while, with me sitting on his lap with his arms around my waist. I was so lost in him, and he lost in me. Edward could bust through that door right now, and neither of us would care. I wouldn't care regardless, but that's not the point.

After a while, he pulled away. "You need to hunt. We don't want you attacking a hiker now, would we?" he said with a smirk. Now that was my trademark James. I wonder what mountain lion tastes like…?

AN: I worked soo hard on this, you have no idea. I'm so sorry to the people that have been waiting for my second chapter to come out. I saw that it only had one review, so I thought no one read it, but I've seen that a lot of people have been putting it on their story alert. I actually forgot about it for a while, but that wont happen again! Please just R&R!

-Looney Love


	3. Closure

For those of you who were waiting for Edward, I decided to add him to this chapter. Btw, the italicized words are Edward's more…psychotic thoughts. It's kind of like a split personality. Remember that he still thinks that James took Bella against her will and that he doesn't know exactly what happened to her. Enjoy!

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Edward, James(sadly), Bella, or any of the other Twilight characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. Curse you Meyer! **

_I wonder what mountain lion tastes like…?_

He grabbed my hand and we were in the middle of the forest, quick as a flash. I frowned. This area smelled very familiar.

"Where are we anyway?" He looked back at me with a smirk.

"We are actually very close to Brazil. I had to run the whole three days. You're so lucky I love you, or I would have dropped you off at the Cullens' doorstep."

My heart fluttered. Or at least, it would have if I was still alive. That was the first time he'd actually told me that he loved me in so many words. I knew he did, but it was good to hear anyway. I smiled back.

"So what kinds of animals are in Brazil?"

He frowned when I said that. I evaluated the sentence. Oh yeahhh. I'd forgotten that James wasn't a vampire, and that he wasn't Edward. Me even comparing the two made me want to slap myself for being so stupid.

"Sorry. Bear in mind that I've only ever heard of hunting animals. Okay…so what do humans taste like?" I said with a sheepish grin.

"The best thing you've ever tasted. Imagine your favorite food, and the multiply your craving for it by a thousand. That's a human."

The whole thing intrigued me to no end. I was eager to start, and the now potent burning in my throat was annoying me. I really felt like I needed a drink.

"So how do we do this?" I queried.

"It's pretty simple. Although for you, I may suggest that I get your food for you. You may not have enough self control for holding back." seeing my expression, he added

"Even I slip every now and then."

"Okay…" I said with a small pout as he left. So much for being treated like an equal.

_Well, you don't want to get him killed, do you? Remember the Volturi…_

"Oh yeah…" I said aloud. Oh well. I guess I'd have to wait awhile. But to raise the stakes, I decided to test myself. I would see how long I could maintain contact/short distance with a human without showing signs of wanting to eat them or actually eating them. An evil grin was on my face when I smelled the most mouthwatering thing I could ever hope to smell.

_Human._

That word sounded a bit wrong.

_Food._

That's better. Had I really developed the vampire mentality so easily? Was it because I was a newborn, or did I really always think or humans as cattle, me being the only exception? I never really related to any other human, and I always did feel like there was something wrong with me since Edward (I snarled the name in my head. For some reason Edward wasn't my favorite person anymore) started complaining about how he couldn't read my mind. I think was just a bad case of SDME (Severely Damaged Male Ego).

_And where is James with my burger…I mean human?!_

Ha ha. I felt like a pregnant woman who sent her husband to get her a strange concoction in the middle of the night. I was still laughing about that when the smell hit me again. This time it was closer. My muscles immediately tensed in preparation of the kill. I fought for self control. This was part of the test, and I didn't want to trip over that starting line did I?

The scent was maddening as it got closer. I stood up straight, not knowing when I fell into a crouch. I closed my eyes and focused on the scent. I actually saw it. It was crimson and shaped like a man. There seemed to be a delicious man walking towards me. There was also another scent, it was slightly sweet and also a bit musky. I recognized it as James. I could see his scent shape, and it was golden like his hair. His scent shape was next to the human's, and I could see that he was leading the human to me. I opened my eyes as they stepped through the foliage. The man's pulse increased as he saw me. I stared at him with a completely blank face. I looked to James in confusion, and at vampire speed, I said,

"Why is he still alive?" his quick reply was,

"Just roll with it." I nodded imperceptibly and looked back at the now sweating man. I internally wrinkled my nose. Maybe delicious was the wrong word. I was curious as to why I actually wanted to sink my teeth into such a disgusting man, but the scent didn't lie, and I was hungry dammit. At normal human speed, I heard James say smoothly,

"Here she is. I told you she was waiting for you." he tried hard to hide a smirk.

I certainly wouldn't have been waiting for this man if I had known what he looked like. I mean, couldn't James have gotten me a…I don't know…younger? More in shape? Less fatty? Sensing the annoyance on my face, he said quickly,

"It's the best I could get on short notice, and a younger guy would have been too hard to resist. Younger people taste better."

Nodding minutely, I saw that the man was trying to impress me with some sort of cheesy smile.

"So I hear you like your men…experienced eh?"

James cut in. "Too bad for me huh? But I figured you could use her." his voice was tight. I was glad. I didn't like being talked about like a new toy. Shoving away my annoyance, I replied,

"Oh yes. Younger men…just don't do it for me. But maybe you can…?" I let the sentence drop. I'd practiced my alluring voice so many times as a human that it was almost second nature by now. I looked up through my eyelashes at the man and tried to look as innocent as possible. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw James getting a tad bit jealous. So I decided to amp it up as punishment. I silently beckoned to him with my finger curling slowly. He stepped closer to me, unable to resist my charm. I smiled a coy smile.

"Closer."

He moved closer to me, almost at arm's length, until I grabbed him and pressed him against me. I could feel that he was really hard, and it tool every ounce of my will power not to wrinkle my nose in disgust. His hands immediately encircled my waist, and he was staring at my lips. I leaned in closer to whisper in his ear, and said smooth as ever,

"You disgust me."

And bit into his neck neatly. He struggled against me, but to no avail. I was too strong, holding him up with my right hand and spreading his neck out farther with my left. The life slowly drained out of him and into me, and I tried hard to hide my chagrin. I dropped his body like a used tissue, and looked right at James, my eyes smoldering. He frowned.

"Don't ever tease me like that again." but then he smirked. "It almost made me wish that I was your victim."

I smiled back at him, and to myself. I had passed my test. With the burn in my throat gone, everything seemed wonderful. We decided to move on, because James had eaten before he got my meal.

We kept running, and I started to wonder what the purpose of being a nomad was. I mean, we would run, and eat, and start running again. Also, where were we headed off to? James told me, 'It's a surprise, Bella. Be patient.' and then he smirked, which made me suspect that he was up to something. I narrowed my eyes at him, which only made him smirk even wider. But I didn't really care that much. Wherever James was, I would follow without protest.

**EPOV**

_Last time: It was then that I lost myself to the monster in me…_

I was livid. How could James take my Bella? _My Bella! _

_We'll rip him apart…torture him until he screams and scatter the remains across the earth, making sure to keep his head on my mantle, just to remind him who Bella really belongs to! _

A wicked grin crossed my face at the thought of killing James.

_Yes…slowly and painfully. _

I ran faster, trying to follow the scent. What? It went in two directions? Three? They're all over the place! How could he…arrghhh…he crossed her scent all over town so I wouldn't find it. I guess I'll just have to follow them one at a time until I find where he took her. This whole thing was pissing me off. Every second Bella wasn't with me, James could be forcing himself on her, or worse…forcing her to choose between death or vampirism. And knowing Bella…

She'd agree. I ran even faster. I was flying through the underbrush that even a vampire would have a hard time noticing or locating me. The scent split up again. How was he able to cross her over so many times? Unless…

_Yes, yes! Unless he's trying to trick you, yes! He took her far, far, very far. Now go. Run like the wind on the trees and find them. Bella depends on it._

All of a sudden I found myself running in a new direction with such conviction that I was very sure that I actually knew where Bella was! I don't know how, but that didn't matter, because this meant I could find her…

'Hold on, Bella.'

(an: in case ur confused, the italicized are the psycho thoughts and the words like 'this' are his more rational thoughts.)

**BPOV**

Eventually, we reached a place that smelled so familiar that I stopped short to make sure I wasn't mistaken.

"James, are we going to _Forks_?" he gave this cute little pout, and it was hard to keep a straight face, but I did.

"Well?" I almost started tapping my foot. Almost.

"Aww, you figured it out! It was supposed to be a surprise! How did you know?"

"The _smell._" I said through my teeth. Wait…why was I so angry? James burst out laughing. Soon, I joined him.

"But seriously. Why are we going back to Forks? Did you forget about _him_?" I couldn't even say his name, that was how much I still hated him.

"Who, Eddie? Nah, I still remember him, and the problem he poses. However, your stunning vampire has figured out a way to rid ourselves of Edward and make him forget about you altogether." he gave a smug smile. I was very surprised.

"And I thought you were just a pretty face." I said, strolling casually over to him and snaking my arms around his waist. His arms came around me instantly. I gave him my best eyes.

"Mind telling me what this plan is, oh stunning vampire?" he brought his face to mine and planted his lips on mine roughly. Our tongues danced a while, and he said

"Nope."

"Wha? Why?"

"Be_cause_. You ruined my first surprise, and now you know where we're going, so you don't get to ruin my second surprise." he gave me a teasing look and ran ahead of me.

I just stood there, mouth agape, and ran after him, laughing.

(I totally should have ended it here, but since I felt bad for abandoning you for so long, I wont)

**EPOV**

I was running very quickly on the trail that my senses led me to. She was getting closer, but then again, so was he. I heard the faintest trill of his laughter, and it enraged me. What was he doing to my Bella?

I ran faster still, elated that the time for killing James had finally come.

**JPOV**

I could sense it. Eddie seemed to have caught on to my scent, or hers. He's going right where I want him to.

**BPOV**

I knew exactly where James was leading me. I wanted to go there anyway. Such a beautiful place should not have been tainted with such ugly memories. I would just have to make new ones. We slowed to a leisurely walking pace, though to a human it might have looked like we were gliding across the ground. I took a deep breath, (though I didn't need it) as we walked through the underbrush that led to…the meadow. Or at least, the meadow that used to hold so many memories for Edward and me. I took in the sight of the meadow through new eyes, and not just because I was a vampire. I looked to James. He was looking away from me. I frowned and closed my eyes.

I saw an amber scent shape coming towards us that was all too familiar and all too enraging at the same time.

"Edward." I snarled.

For some reason, James didn't even twitch when i said his name. It was almost like...

"You...you_ planned_ this? Why?" I growled. This was _not _the kind of suprise i wanted.

His voice was clam and composed, almost like he expected my reaction. "Bella, I need you to get over Edward. Completely."

I was confused. I hated Edward, of that i was certain, so why did James think i still had an attachment to him? I opened my mouth to speak, but James said,

"Bella, you hate Edward, i know, but hatred is a passionate emotion, and i don't want you feeling anything towards Edward, period. You have to get over this emotional connection you have with him, and you also need to forget about him, and neither of those can happen until you confront him." His whole explanation took about 3 seconds.

I saw everything in a new light. James was right to bring me here, and lead me to Edward. I need,

"Closure." I whispered as i understood. I needed closure, and i would have eventually had to break away from Edward to do that. I smiled at James in appreciation for helping me truly get over Edward, though it would be hard, the rest was up to me.

I took a deep breath as Edward stepped through the trees. His eyes were red.

Good ending eh? Review! I'm so sorry i couldn't update sooner, my internet connection seriously sucks. I can write the chapters, but i can't post them. So, you guys should probably expect chapters on Sundays from now on until my computer gets fixed. Happy Thanksgiving!

-Love Looney.


	4. Fight

Chapter 4: Fight

_I took a deep breath as Edward stepped through the trees. His eyes were red. _

I was flat out surprised. James and I looked at each other. I could see in his eyes that neither of us saw this coming. I looked back at Edward.

"Well, well! Look who decided to turn to our branch on the food chain!"

I mocked lightly. I already knew that Edward was no joke right now. He spoke slowly.

"Bella?"

I nodded, encouraging any positive emotion. Wait…why am I watching out for Edward? I am a smooth, strong newborn with the intelligence to stand a chance against even a vampire in bloodlust. And my strength wasn't fleeting.

"Edward." I snarled.

"Bella…you're a...monster." That totally threw me off guard.

"Oh, _I'm_ the monster? You, who were all about being a vegetarian, and now…look at your eyes!"

"Bella, I only killed those people in the interest of finding you. They were criminals, just like the people I used to kill."

"Oh, that's bullshit and you know it. You can read minds; you didn't need to kill anyone or drink their blood. You see, this is why I hate you."

"You…hate me?" he stopped. He seemed to be listening to something. I was so confused. Was Edward really trying to convince me that what I was feeling was wrong.

"Yes, I do, and don't even start on the 'James is tricking you' crap, because I _want_ to be with him, and I went with him willingly." Edward was just looking at me with a blank stare. He wasn't listening! That angered me, but I wasn't about to let him get the best of me, so I decided to make him angry too.

"Yes, Edward, I hate you. You and your…perfection! You act so perfect, like you're too good for our lifestyle, the vampire lifestyle, which means killing people. And when you finally do, you try to justify it and then you call _me _a monster. You're such a hypocrite, and I hate you." Edward seemed to be paying a little more attention, and I was so angry that I spat out some of the venom that was pooling in my mouth. (AN: Jacob reference. Anyone get it?)

I closed my eyes. He was so irritating. I became aware of his amber shape, and as I was thinking that I would never be able to even talk to another vegetarian again, I saw that his shape had a smoke around it. It was a thick green smoke that surrounded him. It looked like a stink cloud, like in the cartoons. I giggled. That must be what bloodlust looks like. But shouldn't it be red? Whatever, I didn't care.

"Bella, you don't know what you're saying. James…"

"Don't you even say his name. He isn't a part of this. He just helped me get what I want. I love him."

"You…love…James. And not…me?"

"Where the hell have you been Edward? Have you really paid so little attention to me that you can't recognize how I feel?" but he wasn't listening. His gaze was trained on James, and his eyes burned redder than I've ever seen anyone's burn. There was real hatred there.

It took me a second to realize that they were having a one sided conversation.

"You…bastard. You took my Bella from me, and now…she's this thing! It's not even Bella anymore. My Bella was sweet and kind, and she cared for everything, and she wouldn't want to kill humans to survive, and she loved me!"

I was floored. Once again, Edward wasn't listening to me, and going off on his own tirade. I felt like a child having a temper tantrum that no one is listening to. I decided to think. What would get the best outcome here?

Watching, I decided. If Edward wasn't going to listen to what I have to say, then I would just watch the events unfold.

"You…" he snarled. "I'll kill you for doing that to her!"

And he lunged to kill my love.

"Edward no!" I screamed, automatically reaching out to stop him instead of jumping at him myself. James moved to defend himself, and I found that I reverted back to my human days, when I let things happen instead of trying to change things. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. I closed my eyes, and I saw them. Amber and gold were clashing, and I wanted it all to just stop.

Then I saw…arms. They were…sort of magenta, but closer to dark red. The freakiest part was that they came from my head. I was ready to scream, until I saw two of them stretch out to Edward's shape. I wanted him dead so badly. The arms obeyed me. They reached out to Edward and grabbed his shape, and ripped him away from James. James relaxed his position, and I inwardly smiled. James was safe. Not that he couldn't take care of Edward himself, but the prospect of Edward even trying was maddening. The vector arms held Edward in the air, as if waiting for command. I realized that they were.

The stink cloud around Edward's shape started to burn, and it crawled down my vectors and was coming right at me. I tossed Edward away like a used napkin and opened my eyes. I knew that the vectors were still there, I could feel them swerving in the air like snakes prepared for the strike. The stink cloud hadn't done much to them, and I suddenly felt protective of them. They were a part of me, whatever they were.

I looked at James, who was looking right at me with shock and pride. I smiled at him, then turned back to Edward to watch him closely. Obviously that stink cloud was not playing around. I then realized that Edward had attacked me. He had attacked me with whatever that stink cloud was, and he tried to kill me while pretending to kill James. I screamed at him.

"You think you can take us both out at the same time? You arrogant bastard. I'll kill you."

I lunged for him, and tackled him to the ground. I was straddling him, and punching his face back and forth in my rage. Each blow sounded like boulders colliding. Edward wasn't fighting back, and for a while I didn't care, just venting my anger and hatred and frustration all into those blows. I saw that his face was starting to…break, and he still was just giving me that puppy look. No it wasn't that. It was…the martyr look.

I sure as hell wasn't going to let him feel like he was being noble. He would die, and that would be because I killed him, not because he felt like being a fucking martyr, dammit!

I jumped off him and a few feet away. I could feel James's confused eyes on my back, so I said loud enough for him to hear me,

"He wasn't fighting back."

"Bella, I would never try to kill you."

"Lies! You called me a monster, plus your stink cloud tried to kill me, so don't feed me that crap."

"My…what?"

"The aura around you is green and thick, like a stink cloud, and when you were suspended, it tried to come at me. Don't act like you don't know."

"Bella, I assure you that I have no idea what you're talking about, I was merely trying to kill that vile James for turning you into a monster."

"I'm not a monster! Stop calling me that. You…hypocrite." I spat. Then I had a great idea.

_Let's see how long that martyr crap lasts._

I was next to Edward in a flash, and I slapped him hard across the face. He looked at me with a hurt face, and I did it again. He kept looking so beaten when I slapped him, that it only made me want to slap him again. And so I continued, until he grabbed my wrist and looked at me with hard eyes.

"Stop it Bella."

"Make me."

That seemed to do it. He punched me in the face, sending my flying across the meadow. That actually hurt.

_Now we're getting somewhere. _

I immediately ran back at him and at the last moment, feinted and then struck him with my left leg, a little move I had learned from a bad kung fu movie. He flew to the right through a tree. Poor tree. He got right back up and slowly walked forward. I could tell he was trying to read my mind. I was actually curious as to whether he could now, so I thought of something angering.

I remembered the turning point. The first time when I left him at my house to go into the forest and when I found James. I also thought of how Edward had forced me into a relationship. I finished my little montage with the thought of how much I hated him.

He raised his eyebrow. That wasn't the right reaction. I knew that he was pretending to be able to read my mind, and to prove it, I thought

_You liar. You can't read my mind. You penis is as small as a cigarette butt, and that's why you would never sleep with me. _

He smiled triumphantly. Definitely pretending. No man could ever smile at a crack on his size. Just to mess with him, I started acting like I thought he was reading my mind. Shocked, slightly scared, nervous. Those seemed about right. I pretended to take my next steps cautiously, like I was afraid to think something. I even looked around myself for effect. Then, I smirked at him like I had a plan. He smirked back like he knew it. The smirk fell from my face, and I ran full blast at him and punched him square in the face.

"Did you see that coming, bitch? Now stop cheating and fight me like you have the balls!"

He grabbed hair on the back of my head and I shut my eyes, prepared for a head butt, and then…he kissed me. My eyes flew open as he smashed his lips against mine urgently, wanting me, needing me to respond. I just stood there, in shock, and closed my eyes. I saw the stink cloud floating around my head. It was surrounding me, trying to get inside my head. I could feel it trying to penetrate my psychic wall. I summoned a vector, and started battling with it. It burned my vector whenever they touched, and I tried to focus with Edward's amber aura all up in my face. It was shimmering, looking like it would almost get bigger. God, he was suffocating in more ways than one. More vectors came out, and started swiping at the cloud. It would dissipate, and then reform. I had to look for where it was coming from. I followed the connection that it had to Edward, and…there was none. It was just around his head. I signaled my vectors to search his head. They started pounding at it, and the cloud got slightly thinner whenever they hit the back of his head.

I opened my eyes and pushed Edward away, the vectors wailing on his head. I saw the pain on his face, and I resisted the urge to snarl at him. Or hiss. His head would periodically jolt from my vectors. There were four now, hitting his head every now and then. I closed my eyes again. The cloud was gone. I opened them again. I ran at him and started punching him as hard as I could with my own hands. He enraged me. Always acting so high and fucking mighty when really, on the inside he was just like the rest of us. He was trying to fight back, but my vectors were holding him still, keeping him from running away while I murdered him. Then I stopped.

_What the hell am I doing? This is pathetic. He's not even worth killing anymore. _

I flung him across the meadow, and when he got up to attack, my vectors held him in place.

"I'm tired of this. You're just pathetic. You can't even put up a decent fight, and you bore me. I will let you live, merely because you aren't worth killing." He just looked at me blankly, like the pathetic being he was. I can't believe I wasted part of my human life with him.

"I only have tow more things to say. The first is thank you." His face was pure shock for a second before it went back to blankness.

"If you hadn't taken interest in me, I probably wouldn't have met James. So thank you." It hurt to show gratitude, but I did have him to thank for my life now.

"The second is more of a threat. Bother us again, and I will crush you like the insect you are. Oh and a third thing." He looked defeated and crushed. It made me feel good to know that I'd broken him so thoroughly. There was still some hope.

"Go back to killing animals." I said emotionlessly.

I turned back to James. He was staring at what used to be the proud Edward Cullen. It wasn't pretty. I took his hand, and he looked to me seriously.

"Let's go."

He nodded, and we ran South, headed back to Brazil.

* * *

God, that took forever! Sorry I took so long again, I swear that I had at least half a chapter cranked out, and then all my files got deleted! So I had to start from scratch. I don't know when the next one will be out, but I know exactly what's going to happen next, so it shouldn't be long.

Review!


	5. Just when I was getting bored

From the start chapter 5

AN: I have no explanation for why I choose to update so irregularly. But I have a plot and my own laptop so that files wont get deleted, and so I'm giving this another go. Hope you enjoy it, for all the wait.

A few years had passed since my fight with Edward, and I was bored. Being a nomad had its excitement every once in a while, but mostly it was the same thing over and over again. I'd even gotten in a bit of a fight with Victoria when I was still a newborn for "stealing her man" but I set her straight a long while ago. Me and her became good friends after that, and she didn't have hard feelings over me dating James. Or at least, she didn't show them, because she knew that I would destroy her if she ever tried to move in on my territory.

But I trust her now. She's never really tried anything stupid, and regardless of that nagging feeling I get that it's only because I'm much more powerful than her, we're actually very good friends. Laurent left a while ago, and it was more than awkward that he went to the Denali clan. His leaving only brought up thoughts of Edward and the rest of the Cullens, and I cursed my stupid brain for refusing to completely forget about my ex, even if I only ever remembered how annoying he was.

Not that James knew any of this. Our relationship had only gotten stronger over the years, and I'd begun to think that if we were sentimental like-dammit. Me still thinking like a human, I assumed that the next step would be marriage. But marriage seemed like the opposite of the word nomad in every way. It hinders the freedom of being able to do whatever you want.

The world is only so big though. There are only so many things a vampire can do before she gets bored. And after only three years of free time and running, I was bored.

It sucks. So much.

I mean, how am I supposed to tell James that I'm bored with the life he took me away to? That's not exactly what you'd like to hear, is it? Not that I'd want to go back to the Cullens and live their lifestyle, cause staying in one place and wishing you were human was much more boring than traveling the world and loving being what you are.

It still didn't alleviate my boredom. I'd tried many things, all the sports you could imagine from every culture. I mastered them, and no one could beat me. I'd even tried recreational things like cliff diving (I'd heard Jacob mention it once to me, a long time ago) and shark-hunting. That last one gave me a bit of a thrill for a long while, but James wasn't too keen on making too much of a stir by my killing sharks everywhere.

Then there was the Volturi. I hated that we had to reside under their edict, even though we were supposed to be free spirits. It was annoying to think that I was powerful (with my newfound abilities and mastery over my vectors) but that I had to listen to people that I could probably kill if I tried hard enough. But James always wanted to stay on the safe side, and I loved him too much to endanger his life. (AN: In case anyone was wondering, I did take the vector idea from Elfen Lied. I did it so long ago that I don't remember why, but I'm keeping it cause I wrote it.)

We were on an island off the coast of California now, which was dangerously sunny during the day, but beautifully blue at night. The moonlight that washed over the beaches seemed to tint even the air blue, and the whole sight was breathtaking. Vicky shared my need for adventure, and we even went out during the day sometimes. Risking getting caught in such a sunny place was enough to give both of us a thrill. It made me feel like a naughty teenager again, which was a feeling I hoped to hold on to forever.

Right now it was mid-afternoon, and Vicky and me wanted to see if our skin would sparkle under the water. It was an interesting enough question that we'd decided to sneak out of the house (we thought of it as sort of a summer home, since that's what all houses in Honolulu were) and find out.

We tiptoed exaggeratedly across the sand, not really needing to be this stealthy but enjoying it immensely.

"Shhh, Vicky! We're gonna get caught if you don't stop cackling over there." I giggled.

"Come on Bells, we're fine. It's the middle of the afternoon, and this is usually when people go back to their houses and laze around." snickered the redhead.

"Ohhh fine, come on. Follow me." I turned theatrically around a corner to see if anyone was there (which in itself was unnecessary, I could have just closed my eyes and looked for any beige auras) and found that the coast was clear. Vicky and me we sparkling like two diamonds in a lightbulb store, especially considering that we were only wearing bikinis. James hadn't been too happy that we weren't eve trying to cover any skin, but hey, the whole point was to go in the water, wasn't it?

We turned around the corner of what seemed to be a large shack, and a patch of straight beach stretched out in front of us. We tip-toed out into the open. We got about half-way to the water when we heard a gasp.

"Oh my God! You girls! You're...sparkling!"

Victoria hissed and fell into a crouch. I rolled my eyes. We wern't supposed to be acting any more like animals, but I guess it was a moot point. Once you saw the sparkle, you were dead.

Before the woman could even turn to anyone else in the house to confirm what she saw, She was dead. My vectors snapped her neck almost of their own accord, as they acted on my concious and unconcious thoughts now. Victoria straightened out her pose, knowing what happened, and grinned at me once again,

"Wanna go halvsies, or see if there's anyone else in that house?"

I thought for a second. "Nahh, we better split." she frowned at this. "Come on Vicky, we're short on time now. Let's just see if we sparkle in the water, the swim back to the house. James is gonna be pissed, I know it..." I trailed off.

Vicky snorted. "I swear, you guys are no fun." She turned towards the water obediently though, because she knew we didn't have to feed yet and gluttonous killing only led to a run-in with the Volturi.

We bolted for the water. I'd thought that Victoria would be a bit more surly about not being able to drink the dead woman dry, but she was already over it. On the surface, at least. She turned to me. "Wanna see who can make the longest jump?" she said with a challenge in her eyes.

I threw my head back and laughed. Only Victoria could be so jovial after a killing and a small spat. Though I was more powerful, I wasn't a newborn anymore, and I knew she could tell that these small competitions we would have were becoming more and more close. Maybe cause I didn't ever bother to train or hone my skills, whereas Vicky made sure to hunt something close to every day.

Of course, James got pissy when she insisted on killing humans every time, but we couldn't move around fast enough for her to do that without attracting the Volturi. I grimaced. That's just one more way they hindered us. I mean, if we wanted to, we could each kill a human every day, and it wouldn't matter if they weren't around.

We'd eventually found a compromise, and Victoria settled for honing her hunting skills on different types of animals. She only did the crucial hunting during feeding times, and for the most part she just left whatever dead animal she hunted where it lay, where other animals would surely make a meal of it.

My focus spiraled back into the present, and I narrowed my eyes at her challenge. A grin creeped across my face. "Ready...GO!" And we were off like bullets.

I could hear the air whistling past my ears, and I took that split second to decide whether to jump early and go higher, or jump later and stay closer to the water. I'd never had a jumping contest with Vicky before, so I didn't know which technique worked the best.

At the last moment I decided to jump flamboyantly higher, spreading my arms and legs wide as if like a ballerina. Vicky went for a lower approach, and was spread out in a diving motion. She looked like she was going faster than me, and I hoped my height had given me an advantage.

Vicky ended up the farthest by a fraction of an inch, and we both laughed at the way the wildlife suddenly scattered across the ocean like undersea cockroaches. Vicky pointed and laughed at me to show me she knew she won, and I pointed ahead of us in a second challenge. It would be a race home.

In the midst of our reverie, we completely forgot to see if we sparkled under the water.

We walked out of the water on the private beach in front of our summer home. I won this time. It didn't bother me that Vicky beat me the first time, I'll just have to jump lower next time we do this. Plus, I didn't feel the need to prove myself to anyone, and I'm okay with losing every once in a while.

Neither of us would want to be the one to tell James that we'd killed someone, as he would probably start packing as soon as the sentence left my mouth. Me and Vicky strolled casually back to the house, me taking one last glance at the now setting sun before retreating inside.

"James? James, my love." I called.

He appeared in front of me in an instant, an unexpected scowl on his face. I thought that somehow he'd found out about us carelessly killing someone.

"Listen James, about that woman..."

"What woman?" he growled, clearly not expecting me to say that.

"Uhmmm, no woman, right Bella?" Vicky said innocently. James looked unconvinced, but continued.

He turned to me. "I thought you were done with Forks, Bella. We've talked about this." His tone was anxious, because we did have that conversation from time to time. Whenever I or Vicky even hinted at going somewhere near the Olympic Peninsula, James and I had a fight. He kept accusing me of wanting to leave him, which was partially my fault. I left Edward so abruptly after dating him that James had the crazy idea that I would do the same to him. He'd seen me getting bored with myself, and assumed that it meant I was getting bored with _him._

However, I was completely done with Forks and hadn't the slightest idea what he was talking about. I told him so, and he replied angrily,

"Then tell me why I got a call from one of the damn Cullens today, telling me that you need to go back as soon as you can? How did they even find us?"

_Alice._ She's the only one with enough nerve (and the power) to be able to find us after three years of not looking. She'd been in touch with me enough as a human that she probably knew how to find me, ever after all this time. I suppose she would be able to, forever.

I sighed audibly. I was so tired of fighting with James about Forks and the Cullens. "James, when are you going to get it through your thick skull that I love you, and only you? I have no idea why Alice called you, and I don't care. Please just forget about it."

Victoria chose this moment to sigh in exasperation and storm out, not that anyone noticed.

"I didn't even say who it was!" James accused, "I knew you were expecting them to call you back. Now you're probably going to run back to Forks like you've wanted to this whole time! I should have known you were just using me to get what you wanted." he muttered the last part.

Now I was angry. "James, you idiot! I just told you I love you, and you go on about a phone call that I don't know anything about! I swear I never made any kind of contact with the Cullens, I just know that Alice is the only one who could ever find me after this long."

"...Fine." he muttered darkly, "But she keeps calling me, and I refused to give her your number. I don't even know how she figured out mine..."

"She's psychic hon, she found some way." I put in.

"...and now she wont stop. If you really love me and only me, call her back and tell her you're not going." he pouted.

Mentally sighing at how childishly and needlessly insecure James was, I held out my hand for his phone, showing that I wouldn't even put her number in my phone. As soon as my hand touched it, it rang.

Yep, that's a psychic for you. They always know what you're going to do before you do. James stared at the phone incrdulously, and I made a note to tell him what the Cullens' powers were, if he ever stopped throwing hissy fits whenever I mentioned their name.

I opened the phone, and held it to my ear. "What, Alice?"

She sighed in relief. "Finally, you call me back! Listen Bella, it's Edward, he's out of control!"

I paused for a long moment. Edward, really? I fought against my instinct to just hang up, cause I knew she'd call right back and never stop. I repeated, annoyed. "_What_, Alice?"

"Edward's been crazy ever since you left! I thought we could handle it on our own, and we could for a while, but now he's gone off the deep end and we can't do anything about it anymore. Please, _please,_ you have to come back and help us!"

I whined. "Whyyy, Alice?"

"You're the only one who's stronger than him, and you're the only one who'll fight him. The Denalis don't want any part in this, and Carlisle doesn't blame them. If they come down here and try to stop him, they'll be killed. I've seen it."

Still protesting, "Why am I supposed to care? I swear, Edward-" James hissed at the sound of his name, "-can't be doing anything that bad that you need my help."

"He is, Bella!" she sounded really worried, but it still wasn't my problem.

"Look Alice, I know we were friends before, but-"

"He says he's going to kill everyone in town, even Charlie! He's mad that he lost that fight to you three years ago, and he says that if you don't come back here and face him again that he's going to start killing off your loved ones!" She practically screamed.

I stopped short. "Alice, he can't. The Volturi will-"

"Don't you think he's thought of that? He's starting with Charlie, and he says he'll tell him the whole truth before he does it!" she whispered.

If I were human my blood would have stopped cold. I knew I shouldn't still play a part in Charlie's life, but I'd be damned if Edward was going to ruin his world like that and then kill him. But one thing didn't sound right.

"Alice, this doesn't sound like Edward at all. Challenging me, threatening to kill innocent people, he wouldn't do that."

"He's changed since you left, Bella. He became a different person after..." she paused awkwardly, "that night. I can't even see him anymore, and it scares me Bella. We're all scared of what he might do, and the only one who can stop him is you!" she finished with more conviction.

"Why would you care enough about Charlie to call me?" I paused. "He threatened Jasper, didn't he?" There was silence. I knew when I was right.

I growled at this ultimatum. "I'll be there in two days." I finally said, and hung up.

(AN: I could totally end it here, but it's been years, so I wont.)

James was livid. "What? Bella the point of you calling her was to say that you wouldn't go!"

I was pissed myself. "James, he's going to kill my dad! What the hell else am I supposed to do?"

"You're a vampire! You're supposed to stay with me. You left him for me, didn't you?"

All of a sudden this wasn't about Charlie. "You think I'm going back to be with Edward, don't you?"

He snorted. "Sure as hell sounds like it. You say you're over him, but even after three years you're still holding on to your humanity."

I protested. "James, I-"

"No Bella. You know what? I can't keep doing this. You're the only one I see, you're all I ever think about, and it's becoming more and more clear to me that I'm not your main priority. So fine, if you want to go back to your human world so badly, then leave! I don't even want to be with you if you're going to keep playing with me like this."

"James, all I've ever done is love you! It's not my fault you can't see that..."

"Maybe I'm not seeing it because it's not there."

"Now who sounds like they don't love whom?" I retorted.

"Bella, I'd die for you. I risked it before with..." his jaw clenched, "Edward, and I don't think about any part of my life before you were in it, even though Victoria's here. I prove myself to you every day, and all I see in return is you getting bored. This is who I am Bella, and if I no longer excite you then by all means, return to Forks and stay the hell out of my life."

"J-James...you sound like you _want_ me to leave. Don't you love me?"

" I do Bella, but if you don't love me, then I can't even stand the sight of you." It was true, his gaze was fixed on the ground to the left of us.

"How can you do this? I have to go, my Dad's gonna get killed! What am I supposed to do? How can I prove to you that I love you more than anything?" I pleaded.

"Stay. Stay with me and never ever leave."

A long pause followed. How am I supposed to choose between my dad and my lover? Human or not, he's still family, and Edward would only kill more people if I left him alone there. I already said I'd go, but that didn't really matter. Did I really wanna give up James for this?

No, not at all. I really did love him more than anything, and I chose James when I chose to become a vampire by him. And he needs me so much, I couldn't possibly break his heart by leaving.

"Okay." I said finally. "I'll stay with you James, and I'll never ever leave."

He looked at me disbelievingly, and I took two steps forward and kissed him passionately. It took him a while to respond, but eventually he loosened up and kissed me back. I was sad and guilty at the thought of what would happen to Charlie because of this, but I shook that thought away and focused on who I did choose.

Later that night, James got another phone call. He didn't recognize the number, but he picked up anyway.

"What?"

"Give Bella the phone." said an unrecognizable voice on the other end.

"Or what?" James huffed indignantly.

"Or Victoria dies." said the voice.

James cursed, and tossed the phone to me. Already angry, I put it to my ear.

"Who the hell are you?" I growled.

"Why Bella, I'm hurt that you don't remember me. After all, it's only been three years..."

"Edward." I snarled. "You've caused enough trouble for me, you bastard, now where's Vicky?"

"Vicky, huh? You two've formed quite the friendship, haven't you? Almost like a sisterly bond, wouldn't you say?" I stayed quiet. Vicky _was_ like a sister to me, not that I'd give him the satisfaction of hearing me say it.

"I thought so. Now Bella, you caught me in a lie. There was no way I would have killed the town or Charlie, seeing that this place is so small that everyone would have noticed. The Volturi would have caught notice long before I finished, and they probably would have killed me too, before I ever got the chance to fight you again." Edward cooed.

"Get to the point, where's Vicky?" I demanded.

"Tsk, tsk, so touchy! You might have to watch your tone or something might actually happen to her. Unlike the rest of this town, no one would bat an eye if Victoria were to die. So the deal's the same as last time. You come here and face me, or she dies. I expect you here by this time tomorrow, or the deal's off." And he hung up.

"Dammit."

(AN: Okay, so my right eye is throbbing at it's 2 in the morning, and I have a class at 8. I wanted to get as much done as I could, and I'll update this when I can. Which I promise, isn't going to be 3 years again! Hope you all liked it, after the wait.)


	6. Reuniting and it'sreally awkward

From the Start Chapter 6

AN: Sorry it took so long, blah blah blah. Let's get on with it!

_Last time:_

" _I expect you here by this time tomorrow, or the deal's off." And he hung up. _

_"Dammit."_

Now…

"Who was that, Bella?" James asked warily.

"Who do you think, James? It's Edward, and this time he took Vicky! Now I have to go and kick his sorry—"

"Bella, I thought you said you weren't going to leave." James almost mumbled. I snapped.

"Dammit James, will you stop being so sensitive? I've told you _dozens_ of times that you're the only one for me, and yet you still refuse to believe me! Don't you trust me at all? Nevermind, that doesn't matter. I'm getting tired of your little attitude lately, and I'm going to save my best friend whether you like it or not! Besides, I thought you cared about Victoria more than that." I ranted.

"She doesn't mean nearly as much to me as you do. She never did Bella. Please, just stay—" James whined.

"James. I'm leaving. Right now. Follow me or not, I don't care." I spat.

His face got stony. "I'm not going." He growled.

My face mirrored his. "Fine. I guess I'll see you whenever then." I muttered, and walked out of our temporary home and straight into the ocean without another word. It was about time we left this place anyway, especially considering we killed a woman yesterday and didn't tell anyone.

I almost laughed under the water. If James had found out what we'd done, then…well, I don't care. James can go shove it, acting like a pouty teenager instead of a creature of the night. And Vicky…I know Vicky can take care of herself pretty damn well, but I also knew that Edward was the type to train himself before confronting an enemy. I had no idea if he was stronger than her, or even me. But I'd have to find out tomorrow. Still, I was worried.

I made it halfway up the coast of California by morning, and I saw that I was making good time. I wasn't supposed to fight Edward until later in the evening, which gave me time to strategize. I decided to pick up the pace, and I arrived in Forks around midday. Without breaking my stride, I whizzed out of the water and past all the houses of La Push and into the forest, when I smelled something awful, like an old dirty sock. A really fast old dirty sock, that was about to close in on me from behind.

"What the hell kinda sock…?" I mumbled, not bothering to turn around. I went up to full speed, running much faster than the approaching dirty sock. Smiling in satisfaction, I didn't notice that the smell of old dirty socks was getting stronger, and coming at me from all sides.

Conveniently, I ran through a clearing, and the next scene happened in slow motion. I was running, mid stride through the center of the clearing when 6 or 7 very large wolves came at me from all sides, clearly trying to attack. I wasn't fast or patient enough to outrun all of them, so I flashed back to my competition with Vicky and jumped. I soared over the tree tops, and the smelly wolves weren't fast enough to realize what I was doing. I gained a few hundred feet on them with the jump, and hit the ground running towards the main part of the city and out of La Push.

After a certain point though, I noticed that the smelly wolves had stopped following me. They'd all screeched to a dead halt, which, though I was in a hurry, was interesting. I went back to the last place I'd smelled them, and waited. Then, in unison, they all came out from behind the tree-line, and one of them instantly started growling and howling like I'd done something to it.

My face wrinkled in disgust. I was smart enough to figure out that these were werewolves, though they chose a hell of a time to start existing again. The last wolves were killed by the Volturi a long time ago, so what were these wolves doing in La Push, near my town? I felt oddly protective of Forks for some reason, even though I hadn't been there for years.

Still, I was a bit pressed for time, so I kept my words short. "Look, I don't know why you wolves think you have a reason to follow me, but I'm busy right now. I'll find you later, if you really wanna die that badly." I sneered. That last bit was bravado, but I'd rather they assume I'm much stronger than them than have them thinking they've got an advantage because of their numbers. I spun on my heel. "Catchya later, stinky!" I smirked, looking directly at the wolf who'd been growling before. He snapped his jaws shut menacingly, but I was already gone.

Twenty minutes later I arrived at the old Cullen house, and it smelled much sweeter than it used to. I could also see that some of the finer details of the house had been modified, not that I cared about décor right now.

I finally broke my run, and strolled semi-casually up to the house I'd once spent so much time at. Then I remembered my method of leaving, and I instantly became nervous. These people probably all thought I was dead! Or maybe Alice had been kind enough to tell them for me?

_Right. _

I didn't bother knocking on the door and just walked in. I didn't even make it to the living room couch before they were all in the room with me, staring in awe.

_Yeah, Alice totally didn't tell them._

"Um…hi guys, long time no see…" I whispered sheepishly.

"Bella, what kind of trick is this?" said Rosalie accusingly, the first one to get over her shock. "You died three years ago when James kidnapped you."

_She almost seems disappointed that I didn't die. _

I rolled my eyes. "Nice to see you again too, Rose." I used the nickname mockingly, considering we weren't friends enough to be using nicknames. Jasper spoke up.

"Did James force you to become a vampire, Bella?" he said, trying to permeate the air with his calm aura. I closed my eyes. His aura was an ocean blue. I smiled serenely. I could be around Jasper all the time.

Before I could answer, Rose answered for me. "Oh, I bet he didn't have to 'force' her to do anything." She muttered.

Carlisle looked at his daughter like she was being a bad hostess (which she was, if you asked me) and said calmly, "Bella, we're all very glad to see you, but we're a bit confused. The last time we saw you you were very much human, and in love with Edward."

A low hiss escaped my lips as I thought of all the trouble Edward has caused me during my human life as well as my life as a vampire. Carlisle noticed.

"You don't seem to be very fond of him now. But first, why have you come back to us now?" said the doctor calmly.

"Alice kept calling for me, and she told me about Edward" I half-snarled his name, "and what he's been up to." I finished.

"Well yes, he has been acting strangely lately. What I'd like to know is how Alice knew you were even still alive, as well as how to contact you." Carlisle turned to Alice with his last statement. I turned to her as well.

"Yes, I'd very much like to hear that story as well." I said, mimicking the way Carlisle would have said it. I started tapping my foot theatrically. "Well, Alice? We're waiting…"

Alice looked around the room without a hint of sheepishness, as if she'd been expecting this conversation for a while. "Well," she began, "I've known that Bella was alive since she made the decision to leave." All eyes went from Alice to me.

_Oh Alice, you sneaky dog. Put all the attention on me so you don't have to explain yourself, eh? _

Esme spoke up for the first time. "Bella honey, you didn't decide to leave, did you? You must have known what it would do to Edward…" she was clearly upset. For the first time since I'd committed the act, I felt bad for just leaving Edward without a word. Disregarding the supernatural elements of our situation, I'd pretty much cheated on him and left him. Ouch.

"Ahhh…well when you put it that way…I guess I did decide to leave him, but it was only because he'd been getting so damn _clingy_..." I grumbled.

"So you fake your kidnapping and death? That's absurd Bella! I didn't think you were that cruel." barked Rosalie. I turned on her. She was starting to get on my nerves.

"Oh Rosalie, stop acting like you care! You never cared about Edward's love life that much, you're just mad because I got what I wanted. And do you have any idea what I mean by clingy? I mean he was there in the morning, at school, in my room at night…he was there from the moment I woke up to the moment I fell asleep, and he's admitted to watching me sleep too! It was just too much for me to handle, and James was…freer." I let out an unnecessary breath. Then I realized that I'd never talked about my relationship with Edward with anyone, which might be why I have so much pent up anger at him…well that, and all the drama he'd caused in my life recently, which led back to why I was here in the first place.

"Look, that's not the point anymore. The point is that Edward has Victoria, and if I don't fight him tonight then he'll kill her!" I shouted.

They all looked at me with weird faces again, and I realized that I'd never told them about my friendship with Vicky or my relationship with James, though they'd probably inferred that I'd left because of James already. Still, better safe than sorry.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Victoria's been my best friend for the last few years, and that I've been dating James for about the same amount of time." I waited for the blow to hit.

Everyone but Alice was surprised, once again. Esme seemed mortified more than anything, and Rosalie's face got stony. What was her problem anyway? I'd gotten out of her hair. Maybe it was that 'getting what I want' comment or something.

"Look, I don't have time to sit down and ponder over every detail. Edward has Victoria and I'm going to save her, and I want to let you know that I'm going to kill him if I can, because letting him live last time is what got me here in the first place." I explained quickly.

"Haha, last time?" Emmett's booming laughter filled the room. "You gave Eddie a run for his money, did ya? Oh what I would have paid to see that…" Rosalie shot him a dirty look. "Sorry babe, but you know he's been different since she left. It's like he's not all there anymore." he finished, surprisingly solemn-sounding.

Everyone's eyes were on the ground for a moment. Then Jasper cleared up the atmosphere with a feeling I couldn't quite describe—somewhere between calm and serious. Alice spoke up.

"So Bella, have you gotten used to your new powers yet?" Alice chirped.

I smiled mischievously. "Oh Alice, you don't know the half of it." And I let my arms do as they willed, not making any conscious decision to move them so Alice wouldn't see them coming. They picked her up off the ground and twirled her gently like a mini ballerina in a music box. She giggled, and I took control of them again and put her down.

"That answer your question?" I smirked. Alice smiled back at me.

"We have a good chance, but you still need some training." she said, satisfied with my current abilities.

"And I suppose you're going to be the one to train me, oh master?" I laughed.

"Come young grasshopper, there is much to learn." Alice finished, and we both laughed as we raced into the yard to begin.

Jpov

Well, it's finally happened. Bella left me for Edward, the way I'd always predicted. Well she's delusional if she thinks I'm not gonna pay her back for this…still, I thought that when she was faced with the ultimate decision that she would pick me. I thought she loved me more than him, but I guess she can't stick to one person for too long. Too _boring_, she's probably thinking right now. Well I'll show her boring!

There was a twinkle of reason in the back of my mind that told me that she was only going to kill him once and for all, but it was too easy to let my emotions get the best of me. So I set off on my plan, to alleviate poor Bella from being bored.

_When I'm done with this, she'll think I'm the most daring vampire that ever existed. Then she'll love me, forever._

_(AN: Well, I'm done for the night. For some reason I can only write fanfiction at 12am or later, so I often end up stopping chapters because I get too tired. Hope you enjoyed it!)_

_P.S. I promise the whole werewolf thing will make sense later, I just needed to introduce them so they didn't feel like an afterthought. _


End file.
